Restoring a '63 Fender VI

[BassAgent]

I have a new temporary housemate. It's an original 1963 Bass VI. Well, almost original. It's missing the bridge and the neck pickup isn't working, and it has been missing strings for years now. Oh, and it has some moisture damage on the bottom of the body. I'm going to try to restore it.

The steps I'm going to take:
-Clean it, put some oil in the fretboard
-Get a cheap bridge to get it strung up with a set of Fender 250B6 strings to see what the neck is going to do when I slowly build tension on the neck
-Check why the neck pickup isn't working
-If the neck isn't warped, get a good Staytrem bridge for it
-See if I can find some new foam for the mute
-Give it a decent setup and set of Labella strings

Now I have a few questions so far:
-Would a cheap Jaguar or Mustang bridge fit this gorgeous instrument, just for the time being to check the neck? I was looking at this bridge, which is made for a 7.25" radius neck but would it fit the body? Setup isn't important for now, just tension on the neck

-How to properly build tension on the neck

Alright, time for pics! A bit hazy because it's dark here at the moment.

Edited November 4, 2022 by wateroftyne
Removed reference to owner wanting to sell it.

[BassAgent]

Ahhh yes. Slab board.

[BigRedX]

It would probably be less confusing if this thread was merged with the other one that you started so that all the relevant information is in one place.

 

Looking at the photos it appears that bridge posts as well as the bridge are missing - is that correct? It would help if you posted some close-ups of the bridge plate and mute. If so you will need to ensure that not only is the replacement bridge the correct width but also that the new posts have the correct thread for the existing inserts. IIRC the Bass VI bridge is somewhat wider than similar versions fitted to the guitars. If it helps the string spacing at the bridge on my Squier Bass VI is 55mm E-E, which feels quite wide compared with a typical guitar. Unfortunately I don't have my Squier to hand at the moment otherwise I could have measured the distance between the post centres to see if a modern Bass VI bridge could potentially fit. However there are several other Basschat members with the Squier version who could probably do this for you.

 

If you simply want something temporary in order to check that the neck is still OK, then almost anything will do. I'd just stick a suitably sized block of wood under the strings where the bridge should be and then slowly tune up to standard tension over the course of a few days. That way you won't be out of pocket if the neck turns out to be damaged.

 

Regarding value, if the end point of this restoration is to sell the bass then IMO you need to keep it as authentic as possible. Anything that isn't period correct is going to seriously detract from the value no matter how much more playable it makes the instrument. Remember if you want a playable Bass VI your "competition" is a brand new Squier fitted with a Staytrem bridge and a set of LaBella or Newtone strings. That's not in vintage instrument price territory.

[Maude]

I can do any measurements you want from a Squier bass vi tomorrow, if required. 👍

[BassAgent]

Yep, that's old all right.

[BassAgent]

I gave her some strings. Not on full tension yet, only a tiny bit. I'm going to wind the tuners once every day. See what happens. The neck seems straight, somehow, after being without strings for many, many years.

[BigRedX]

That looks better already!

 

Out of Interest what is the spacing between the centre of the two E strings at the bridge?

[BassAgent]

It's 55 mm

[BigRedX]

Thanks. Same as the Squier then.

 

What bridge do you have fitted in these photos?

[BassAgent]

It's an Allparts Mustang bridge. Works pretty well as a placeholder so far, but pretty hard to adjust (if not impossible) to adjust the saddle height, so if it's going to work neckwise I'm going to check with the owner if I can get a better bridge for it

[BassAgent]

Yesterday I gave it almost "real" tension and the strings were...well...not really doing anything. Just buzzing. I looked at the neck and saw it had a shim underneath it. Took the shim out, tuned the strings, and, well...it works. It sounds. It needs a good setup of course, I have to check the neck pickup, but it sounds great. Couldn't be happier so far.

[BigRedX]

If you are going to string this with modern heavier strings (i.e. those from LaBella or Newtone) you will eventually need to refit the shim to get a decent break angle over the bridge to reduce the compliance of the string. Without the shim the strings pass over the bridge and on to the vibrato mechanism at too shallow an angle which makes them feel even floppier than they would be normally. This is standard procedure for anyone buying a Squier Bass VI these days. I assume that the lack of bridge posts means you can't raise the bridge high enough to allow for the shim at the moment.

[BassAgent]

Yep, you're totally right. The shim consists of two parts, I'm going to save them to probably put it back later. The bridge cannot be adjusted in height now, however a Staytrem (which I'm planning on putting on the bass) is adjustable so that wil also help.

 

By the way, the Fender strings that are on it now are heavier than the Labella strings currently in production. The Fender 250B6 are .024, .034, .044, .065, .080, .100, while the Labella's are .026, .035, .044, .056, .075, .095.

[BigRedX]

If you're not going for original authenticity but making this a player's instrument to sell, then almost any serious prospective purchaser will want the shim refitting and the bridge raising up to compensate. String choice is a matter of taste, but if you can get the intonation right with that Fender set, anything else the next owner might want to fit will also be capable of being correctly intonated.

[BassAgent]

Of course I'm going to have it set up optimally  Thanks for the advice!

[BigRedX]

15 minutes ago, BassAgent said:

Of course I'm going to have it set up optimally  Thanks for the advice!

 

The Fender (and Squier) Bass VI is a strange instrument, and the way it is best set up for modern players does not always use the intuitive adjustments you would make for your typical guitar or bass, where you would only fit a shim if the bridge didn't have sufficient adjustment to go low enough. For the Bass VI the bridge should be raised higher than normal and then the neck shimmed to compensate. This is to increase the downward pressure of the strings on the bridge which firstly makes the strings feel "stiffer" which IMO even the heavier sets still need, and secondly reduces the tendency of the bridge to wobble on the posts (although you can also prevent this with custom sleeves on the posts).

[BassAgent]

This is all excellent advice and I'm going to take it all to heart. Thanks so much

[Jono Bolton]

3 hours ago, BassAgent said:

Yep, you're totally right. The shim consists of two parts, I'm going to save them to probably put it back later. The bridge cannot be adjusted in height now, however a Staytrem (which I'm planning on putting on the bass) is adjustable so that wil also help.

 

By the way, the Fender strings that are on it now are heavier than the Labella strings currently in production. The Fender 250B6 are .024, .034, .044, .065, .080, .100, while the Labella's are .026, .035, .044, .056, .075, .095.

The Staytrem might not be suitable as it's set it a 9.5" radius, which I'd hazard a guess won't match the fretboard radius. I'm sure I also read that the Staytrem isn't compatible with the Jaguar mute.

[BassAgent]

Let's do an update on this. I was still not happy with the fact the neck pickup was not working and I couldn't figure out what the issue was. So I took it to a luthier who knows a thing or two about vintage Fenders. He was very happy with it  Couple of things he marked:

 

-The neck is a very early '62 (which I already knew): slab board ánd Kluson tuners that are bigger than the VI used in later years.

-Everything except for the bridge is original and functional

-Only exception: the neck pickup is dead. The two other pickups read 6.3 kOhms but the neck does nothing. It has to be rewound, I'm going to send it to a specialist here in NL to have it rewound.

-I've replaced the foam underneath the bridge pickup as it couldn't be risen to proper height

-I've removed the foam on the mute to replace it, I don't have extra foam lying around.

 

 

With the bridge pickup at the proper height it sounds even better. As soon as I get the neck pickup back it's time for proper LaBella strings and a Staytrem bridge. I think. Still hesitant about the bridge; the not too expensive Mustang bridge it has now works fine and the Staytrem has the "wrong" radius. I'm going to e-mail Staytrem to ask what's the deal with the radius and the mute.

[BassAgent]

Just got word from Staytrem that their bridge doesn't fit with the Mute. Darn.